Mumbai: Taking note of the intense summer heat, increasing pressure on water resources and complaints received from citizens regarding water supply, Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde held detailed discussions with senior officers of the Municipal Corporation Water Department. The Mayor has directed to implement more effective measures to ensure uninterrupted and smooth water supply to the people of Mumbai while properly managing the currently available water resources. Mayor Ritu Tawde mentioned that the demand for water is continuously increasing due to the growing population in Mumbai. In the backdrop of climate change, it has become imperative to manage water supply in a more sustainable and multifaceted manner, keeping in mind the uncertainty of rainfall. In addition, in the current situation, the intensity of summer has also started increasing. In this regard, the Mayor has expressed the need to focus on revitalizing traditional water sources, exploring alternative water sources and making extensive efforts for water conservation and protection through active participation of citizens. In this context, Mayor Ritu Tawde has directed to immediately collect updated information about all government and private wells and boreholes in Mumbai and check their working condition. During the water shortage due to low rainfall in 2009, the Municipal Corporation had repaired wells for public consumption and provided water to the citizens. On this basis, the performance of all wells should be checked at present and necessary steps should be taken to immediately make these wells functional on priority basis. Mayor Tawde has also directed that the extent to which clean drinking water can be used from these wells should be studied on the basis of tests and its use should be planned accordingly instead of limiting it to gardening or cleaning. Meanwhile, given the increasing demand for water in Mumbai, it is important for private housing societies to actively participate in this process and cooperate with the administration. Housing societies should regularly maintain, repair and clean the wells and well pipes in their area and install necessary systems for water purification. Also, it is important to ensure that groundwater is extracted as per the rules and within sustainable limits. Rainwater harvesting is a very important measure to avoid water shortages in the future, and all housing societies should implement such a system in their area. This will help maintain the groundwater level and this measure will prove effective for long-term water security, Mayor Tawde has appealed. In Ghatkopar, where I live, a system of recharging rainwater, a system of purifying well water and supplying it to all the flats, all these have already been implemented. Others should follow suit. Efforts to ensure water supply should be comprehensive. For this, coordinated participation of citizens, housing societies and the industrial sector along with the administration is necessary. Mayor Ritu Tawde has also made a humble appeal that everyone should make a joint effort to avoid water wastage, increase recycling and adopt water conservation habits.

New Delhi, April 4: Pakistani consumers are bearing almost half of petrol’s retail cost in the form of government levies and industry profit margins, an internal government document has revealed, coming just a day after a massive increase in the prices of both petrol and diesel was announced, a report said.

Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, speaking alongside Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb at a press briefing, announced a Rs 137.23-per-litre rise in petrol prices, pushing the retail rate to Rs 458.41 per litre.

Moreover, high-speed diesel climbed even more steeply, up Rs 184.49 per litre to a new benchmark of Rs 520.35.

Both hikes were attributed to disruptions in the global oil supply chain stemming from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The Ministry of Energy’s pricing document lays bare a cost structure that places the ex-refinery price of petrol at Rs 247.15 per litre — less than the Rs 211.26 per litre piled on through taxes and margins.

Of that non-product portion, a petroleum levy alone accounts for Rs 160.61 per litre, followed by Rs 24.12 in customs duty and Rs 2.50 under the climate support levy.

The inland freight margin adds another Rs 7.52, while oil marketing companies (OMCs) collect Rs 7.87 in profit and pump dealers retain an Rs 8.64 commission per litre.

The picture is markedly different for diesel consumers. The ex-refinery price of high-speed diesel stands at Rs 461.23 per litre, and, unlike petrol, diesel currently attracts no petroleum levy.

In addition, combined taxes and margins on diesel total Rs 59.12 per litre — 11.36 per cent of the retail price — comprising Rs 35.74 in customs duty, Rs 4.37 for inland freight, Rs 7.87 in OMC profit, Rs 8.64 for dealers, and the Rs 2.50 climate levy.

The disclosures have drawn fresh scrutiny to the government’s fiscal strategy, with petrol’s tax-and-margin share more than four times that of diesel, even as pump prices for both fuels reach record highs.

Mumbai: Police has returned stolen equipment and mobile phones seized in various theft cases to their rightful owners. After recovering stolen equipment from police stations Nirmal Nagar, BKC, Vakola, Kherwadi, Vile Parle, Sahar under the jurisdiction of Zone 8, the police today returned mobile phones worth over Rs 84 lakh, stolen motorcycles and vehicles to their rightful owners. DCP Zone 8 Manish Kalwaniya said that the police keeps organizing such programs in which stolen goods are distributed and these goods are handed over to their original owners. He said that every four months, their goods are returned to the original owners. In this, most of the stolen mobile phones have been recovered. After the recovery of the stolen mobile phones, the happiness of the citizens and victims has doubled as they had given up hope and hope regarding their goods. 277 stolen mobile phones have also been returned today. These mobile phones were recovered after technical investigation, along with the vehicles and stolen goods were also returned.